Two Worlds Collide
by heartofglass99
Summary: Percy Jackson, the local football team's star player, and Annabeth Chase, a low-key college student, never imagined their worlds would change one bit until their paths crossed at a party. Can Percy make their relationship work despite their differing lifestyles while guiding his team to the playoffs at the same time? Percabeth! AU.
1. Week 1, Day 1, Part 1

Hey there! Thanks for checking out Two Worlds Collide. I'll do a formal introduction later, so all I'll say here is...

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. The amazingly talented Rick Riordan does. I'll say this once, since I think it's pretty obvious that if I was him I wouldn't be on here.

Claimer: I own the plot and story.

Without further ado, enjoy the first chapter!

* * *

"Nico, I don't know about this. The season starts next week, and I can't miss any practices," I told my best friend, jerking the steering wheel to the right. The red Stingray I bought last week turned sharply, jerking both mine and Nico's seatbelts.

"Watch it, Percy!" Nico exclaimed, carefully steadying his cup of coffee in his hand. "As I was saying, how will going to a party tomorrow hurt? You have the next day off."

"I know," I told him, gritting my teeth. "The team is counting on me this year. I can't let them down."

"You've said that ten times this car ride!" Nico reminded me. "Just because you promised the media and the team you'd ditch your old high school partying doesn't mean that you can't have fun every once in a while."

"And what would you know about fun, death boy?" I asked. That was his nickname between the two of us, since all he ever wore were black t-shirts and black jeans. His skull-and-crossbones necklace added to the whole 'death' effect.

"I'm a very fun person," he said, causing me to laugh out loud. Nico raised his eyebrows, looking offended, before continuing. "I just usually don't care to share it with others."

"Isn't that the whole point of having fun? Having fun with other people?"

"That might be fun to you, but I'm perfectly content with my ways."

I rolled my eyes, carefully making a textbook left turn to appease Nico as well as the New York Police Department. "Whatever, man. Back to this party thing, I hate to let you down but I can't come."

Nico sighed. "C'mon, Percy. Just one hour? Are you too important now that you're the star quarterback of the New York Rebels that you can't spend a little time with your friends?"

"I never said that! Okay, fine. I'll go. But just one hour," I answered. "Where is this thing, anyways?"

Nico sighed again, but it was of relief this time. "Thanks. It's near your house. My…friend is hosting it. Her name is Thalia."

"Thalia…Thalia who?" I asked, my eyes glued to the road.

"Thalia Grace, goddammit! Her brother's on the Rebels!" Nico said.

"Who's that?" I replied absentmindedly, cursing under my breath as a car cut in front of me. I've lived in New York City all my life, yet I never grew to appreciate anything about its traffic.

"You don't even know your team's starting running back? What kind of team player are you?" Nico asked me, waving his hands in the air. That got my attention.

Oh. _Thalia. _How did I forget my cousin, even if we didn't get along?

I blamed the traffic.

"Chill, man. I remember now. What time tomorrow are you picking me up?"

"You mean what time you're picking _me _up? It'll leave a good impression on Thalia if I show up in style."

"You _like _Thalia?" I asked my best friend, as he took a sudden interest in his coffee.

"Hey! It's not like I can choose who I fall in love with," Nico complained.

"No, that's cool and all. I have a right to be surprised, though. You've never taken an interest in girls until now."

"And that matters why?"

I grinned. "You're getting lessons from the master tomorrow before the party on how to get girls. Thalia will be _begging _to go home with you after the party."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Who's this master you speak of?"

"Why, me, of course."

"If I recall correctly, you've never kept a girlfriend for longer than two months," Nico pointed out.

"On the bright side," I countered, "That means I really know how to pick 'em up."

"Yeah, but I also need help in the art of _keeping _girlfriends. Not throwing them out like yesterday's trash as soon as I'm bored of them like a certain football player I know," Nico said frowning.

"You're on your own then, man," I said, pulling into the players-only lot of our new stadium. "You know, it's not that I'm a commitment-phobe. I just haven't found the right girl yet."

"Fair enough."

I parked in a VIP spot and walked into the stadium with Nico, who insisted on coming to 'cheer me on' (read: convince me to go the party) in our last practice of Training Camp before Week One of the football season next Sunday.

"Coach Douglas might not be too happy about seeing me again," Nico said. "Un-groovy charisma, he called it."

"Nah, you'll be all right. He's a cool guy. Just stay in the stands."

* * *

"You're late, Jackson!" Chiron aka. Coach Douglas yelled at me as I walked into the locker room. "Third time this week, no less."

"Sorry, Coach. It won't happen again," I assured him, opening my locker.

Coach Douglas sighed. That was the great thing about my coach-even though we played football at the highest level, he never stayed mad for long. "You better make sure it won't. Well, everyone's already on the field. Meet me out there. First team scrimmage today."

"Got it, Coach."

* * *

"You killed it out there!" Nico told me, giving me a high five which I returned halfheartedly as I walked out of the stadium.

"I missed Connor Stoll on the touchdown pass at the end. It wasn't even a decent throw. I threw the damn football ten feet over his head," I complained. It _was _an embarrassing mistake. My entire offensive line buried their face in their hands as soon as the ball landed well past the end zone.

"That's one mistake, Percy. Putting up six touchdowns takes serious skill."

"Nico, it's just a scrimmage. The defenders aren't allowed to touch me," I reminded him.

He shrugged, still in awe. "Still…Atlanta won't know what hit them next week."

I grinned. "You got that right. I may be a rookie but I'm not getting paid big bucks for nothing."

"Big bucks that'll end up going into booze sooner or later."

"I'll have you know, I haven't had a drink in months," I told Nico. "And I don't plan on resuming tonight."

* * *

When we arrived at the party, Nico rang the doorbell. He straightened his tie and fixed his hair nervously, blind to the fact that confidence was the number-one key in getting girls from my experience. I tried to get that into his head earlier, but Nico didn't believe me. Hey, not my problem.

Jason opened the door, much to Nico's disappointment. "Hey, Perce. What's up, Nico?"

"Where's Thalia?" Nico blurted out, taking Jason by surprise. Even though Nico was my best friend, I had to stifle a chuckle. Rule number two in Percy's guide to getting girls: don't sound obsessive.

"Probably downstairs, with everyone else," Jason said. Nico thanked him quickly before rushing downstairs. "The guys are downstairs, too," he told me. "Frank, Leo, Connor, and Travis."

"Let's go," I decided. Even though Jason was hosting, he as well as everyone else on the team viewed me as a leader even though I was a rookie. My area of 'authority' apparently extended into partying as well as football.

"What up, Perce?" Leo whooped, grinning, as he gave me a fist bump. I fist bumped the other guys, too, before sitting down.

"You guys all came here today, even though we're playing Atlanta next week?" I asked them.

Connor shrugged. "Gotta have fun while we can."

Travis elbowed his brother. "The season's gonna be fun, Connor. Well, as long as you don't miss easy catches like you did today."

Connor laughed at him. "Dude, good luck getting Michael Jordan to catch that one."

"Are you kidding me, or what? That was easier than a drunk Miley Cyrus," Travis retorted. Even though we were all in our early twenties, some of us were as immature as high school students.

I tuned the Stoll bothers out, checking out the girls on the dance floor. Since none of the guys here really looked like football players besides Frank, I was sure nobody would know that I was _the _Percy Jackson that the Rebels spent their top draft pick on.

I glanced over the crowd, seeing nothing special. I was a party animal in college whenever I wasn't playing football, though, so it took a lot to surprise me at a party.

As I turned my chair to look at the girls at the circular table on the other side of the floor, my sea-green eyes locked with a pair of intense but beautiful stormy gray eyes belonging to a tall girl wearing glasses. Her long, blonde hair cascaded down her back in ringlets. She was _seriously _beautiful. I dare say, she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. Even though most girls looked nerdy and unattractive in glasses, this girl somehow pulled it off.

Just as quickly, though, she looked away and back at her friends at the table.

My instinct should've been to get up, deliver a few smooth lines and dazzle her with a confident grin. After all, that's what I was known for in college besides football. My suavity and charm.

But I couldn't do it. What if she blew me off? What if she laughed at me?

Whoa, hold the phone. What happened to the whole confident, unshakeable Percy? Why was I suddenly doubting myself?

"Bro, who are you staring at?" Leo asked me, whistling. "Must be a real looker."

"Wha-what?" I asked, finally tearing my gaze from Annabeth.

Leo laughed, running a hand through his brown, curly hair. "Looks like the great Percy Jackson has finally met his match."

"How would you know?" I asked him. "You haven't met her."

"I have," Jason offered. "If you're talking about the blonde chick with glasses over there."

"Oh, Annabeth!" Leo exclaimed. "I'd ask her to dance if she wasn't out of my league." Naturally, everyone ignored him.

"She's Thalia's best friend," Jason told me. My heart sank a few millimeters since Thalia and I weren't exactly best friends, but I wasn't going to let that stop me.

I glanced at her again, and the whole idea of strolling over and asking her to dance seemed all the more daunting.

As if reading my mind, Connor suggested, "Ask her to dance."

I shook my head quickly. "I'm fine."

He raised his eyebrows. "The confident Percy Jackson, intimidated by a girl?"

"Whatever, man," I managed, as I looked over at Annabeth again. She was laughing and talking to a girl with long, brown hair.

"Percy, if you don't ask her to dance within five minutes, I'll steal her," Leo said, with as much seriousness as he could muster which was to say not much. But still, I wasn't taking any chances. Even though Leo was one of my good friends, I felt sick thinking about him dancing with Annabeth.

"Thalia's gone," Jason announced. "She's on the floor with Nico." Sure enough, my best friend and cousin were slow dancing on the dance floor. They looked happy, and while I couldn't have cared less how Thalia felt, I was happy for Nico.

"That's your cue, man," Leo told me, flashing me a pair of money signs just like he did when he made a field goal. I rolled my eyes.

Ignoring Leo, I stood up quickly and took a deep breath. "Here we go," I said to myself as I approached Annabeth.

* * *

I can already smell Percabeth...even though Annabeth hasn't even been formally introduced yet. XD

I know things are a bit confusing at this point but everything will become clear later. I can tell you right now that the story _will_ be centered around Percabeth, not football (even though I love football). I just wanted to make it clear that Percy's mind is on football, not girls, before the party. Also, if I wasn't clear, Nico is NOT on the team and Jason/Connor/Travis/Leo/Frank are.

Question of the Chapter: Should I continue with the story?

Please review!


	2. Week 1, Day 1, Part 2

I'll introduce the story a little more here.

First off-to all of my Maximum Ride readers-this story is set in an AU, so I promise you'll understand everything in the story. I'll be sure to make everything canon-related clear.

This is my first Percy Jackson fic but I have some pretty legit Maximum Ride stories so I'm not completely lost here. It'll just take time to get used to the fandom. (:

And Percy is on a NFL team, the New York Rebels. I'll get into it more later, but in short they exist in place of the Jets.

I know there are a lot of celebrity Percy stories, but I couldn't find any where he plays a professional sport so I decided to try it. Football's the only sport I can do because in baseball, hockey, and basketball they play way too often to squeeze in Percabeth time! I was first thinking baseball but they play every single day and half of the games are out of town. Where's the Percabeth in that?!

Any questions? Just ask in a review or PM and I'll answer.

Without further ado, enjoy Chapter 2!

* * *

I tried to keep my heart rate in check as I walked up to the table. It didn't work. The gap between my heartbeats was getting smaller and smaller with every step I took.

_Why the heck are you so nervous, Percy? It's not like you haven't done this before._

Alcohol. That's what I needed to loosen me up. But I promised myself I wouldn't drink any tonight.

I took a deep breath. Let's try this again. _You can do this, Percy._

This time, I swallowed my fear and walked up to Annabeth's table smoothly, causing her and the brown-haired girl across from her to stop talking and look at me. "Annabeth, is it?"

She adjusted her glasses and stared at me, causing me to panic internally. Had I done something wrong already? "Yeah," she responded. "How'd you know?"

"Jason told me."

"Ah. So what brings you here?"

"I was just gonna ask if you wanted to dance," I said, my nerves on hyper-alert. If someone snuck up on me from behind, I probably would've gotten a heart attack and died on the spot, taking my team's playoff hopes with me.

To my surprise and delight, Annabeth smiled. "I'd be happy to." I felt my chest loosen, and I reached out to take her hand and led her to the floor.

A slow song was on-thankfully-so I took her left hand in mine and set my right hand behind her shoulder. We swayed gently to the beat before Annabeth spoke up.

"So what's your name?"

"Percy Jackson," I answered instinctively.

"Oh, like the football player?" Annabeth asked. Shoot! I shouldn't have said my last name.

"Yeah, just like him," I told her. "I can't play football for the life of me, though." That was my normal cover story. Even though Percy Jackson wasn't the most common name, everybody bought it. I was left-handed, so whenever people asked me to throw a football I used my right to make sure they didn't know I was the actual Percy Jackson.

Annabeth laughed. "You must get mistaken for him a lot, though. You have the same hair and eyes."

"I do, believe me," I said, shrugging. "I get used to it, though." I did an internal victory dance. Annabeth noticed my eyes already?

"I've always wanted a chance to meet Percy Jackson," Annabeth said wistfully. "I grew up watching the Rebels play."

"Don't I count?" I objected, but I was smiling with her. _You got your wish, then._

"Only if you're going to make the city proud next week." _Believe me, I will. If only you knew who you were talking to right now, Annabeth._

"Dang it," I halfheartedly snapped. "So I take it you're a fan of his?"

"A big one, actually. I know he's a party animal and all, but…I don't know. I just like him. He seems like a good guy at heart. He's also really cute." Annabeth blushed. "Sorry."

"I'll take that as a compliment since you said we looked similar," I said, grinning.

"I take that back! You're not good-looking at all, Percy Jackson," she said, glaring playfully at me.

I pouted. "Fine."

"I kid. I'm not one to spend money fangirling but I have Percy's college jersey." Wait, so did that mean she thought I was attractive or not? Girls still confused me after all these years.

"Which one?" I asked. I actually wore two jerseys: one during freshman year and one during sophomore year. I left college early to go to the pros since I'd be the top overall pick either way.

"Freshman jersey. I thought he was gonna leave first year."

"I did too, actually." Not a lie. I was seriously considering it. "I'm a fan of his, too. Hopefully he can make football good in New York again."

"I hope so, too. I'm seeing him play live in three weeks."

"Against Washington?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yup," she answered. Note to self: play well that game.

Just then, the song ended. Before I let her leave though, I asked, "Nice talking with you. What do you say about coffee on Broadway Street on Thursday morning at seven?"

Annabeth paused a moment before smiling, sending my heart into a frenzy again. "I'd love to," she said, walking back to her friends. I was doing my patented backwards-arrow touchdown dance inside, but something caught my attention. Why did Annabeth pause before saying yes?

_Percy, she was probably just checking if the time would work, _my conscience said.

Oh. Right. My head is full of kelp sometimes.

I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. I turned to the table where the team was sitting, and sure enough everyone was grinning at me.

"That was smooth, man," Jason told me.

"What'd you think?" I responded. "I'm smooth. Everything I do is smooth."

"You weren't thinking the same thing ten minutes ago," Jason reminded me. He waved his hand. "But that doesn't matter. You got your act together."

"More than that. I got a date with her."

Leo offered me a high five. "Looks like someone's been heavy on the happy juice!" he whooped.

"Not a drop," I told Leo matter-of-factly.

Leo's grin faded quickly into a fake serious face. "What happened to the stuttering Percy Jackson I was talking to ten minutes ago?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. He died. Speaking of death, where's Nico?"

"I'm right here," he said, right behind me. I spun around quickly, nearly elbowing him in the gut.

"Don't scare me like that!" I exclaimed.

Nico shrugged. "Hey, it's not my fault if you can't hear my footsteps."

"How could I? I can't even hear you normally, so forget about a party with loud music. Anyways, let's go, Nico."

"Fair enough."

We said our goodbyes to the team and left Jason's house. "How'd it go with Thalia?" I asked, as we got into my car.

Nico grinned. "Great. We're seeing a movie tomorrow."

"Let me guess-it involves death?" I said, pulling out of the overpriced parking garage.

"You know it."

I grinned. "What's the name?"

"I don't know yet. We're just going to the theater and picking the most morbid title," Nico said nonchalantly, like it was no big deal. Well, to him it was nothing new.

"I'm getting coffee with Annabeth on-" I began.

"Annabeth, Thalia's best friend?" Nico interrupted. "Sorry."

"Yeah, her."

"That'll be awkward."

I raised my eyebrows. "How?"

"Believe me. Just wait until Thalia finds out about you two."

"Nothing's official yet, Nico. We just danced and I asked her if she wanted to grab coffee on Thursday. She might not even know it's a date."

"Does she know who you are?" Nico asked me, already knowing the answer. I never told anyone I was Percy Jackson in fear of the paparazzi. Plenty of guys were six foot two, had green eyes, and had dark hair so nobody really suspected me.

"I accidentally said Percy Jackson, but told her I wasn't, you know, _the _Percy Jackson. She's a fan of me, by the way."

"The actual you or the fake you?"

I sighed. "Actual me. Probably just because of football, though," I told him. "Actually, she said I was good-looking too," I added.

"That's a start, isn't it?"

* * *

They have a date! I know, I know. It was way too easy. I promise Percy and Annabeth will have their share of relationship struggles though! Wouldn't be Percabeth without 'em!

Question of the Chapter: Do you want fast-moving Percabeth or slow Percabeth?


	3. Week 1, Day 4

I made sure to get to the coffee shop early so Annabeth wouldn't have to wait. She seemed like a person who'd appreciate that. It involved waking up at five-thirty in the morning, but it was well worth it to leave a good impression on Annabeth.

Back at the party, I noticed something about myself. When I thought things over, I got nervous and screwed things up. But when I got into the 'screw it' mentality and went with my instincts, everything worked out fine. It was like that in football, too-when I spent hours in the film room and on the sideline studying plays, I choked during the game. But when I spent no more than fifteen minutes running through a few videos and plays, I threw for six touchdowns and crushed the other team more or less single-handedly.

If only Annabeth was as easy to decode as a football game. I wasn't even sure why I was so attracted to her-sure, she was beautiful but I'd dated plenty of beautiful girls before. Maybe it was that she looked smart and down-to-earth. It wasn't just the glasses; the way she carefully formed her words gave me the impression she was sophisticated. Opposites attract, right?

I looked down the street, and sure enough Annabeth was walking towards the café with a book in her hand and a purse slung over her shoulder. She looked just as beautiful as she did yesterday even though she was wearing nothing more than a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt.

"Annabeth!" I called, waving. Her eyes went wild for a second before she regained her composure. She smiled back at me and jogged to meet me.

"Hey, Percy. Have you been waiting long?" she asked me.

I waved my hand. "Nah, just a couple minutes. Wanna come on inside?"

"Sure," she said, shrugging.

We joined the seemingly endless line to the most popular Starbucks on the street. After what felt like forever but was probably more like thirty minutes, Annabeth and I reached the front of the line.

"I'll take a vanilla latte," I told the cashier. "Grande." He scribbled my order on a cup before turning to Annabeth.

"Cappuccino, tall," she said, reaching into her purse for her wallet. I was a step ahead of her, though. I dropped a twenty on the counter before Annabeth even looked up.

When the cashier handed me our receipt, Annabeth stared at me, holding her wallet. "Did you just pay for me?"

"Yeah," I said, sitting down at a booth. Annabeth sat across from me.

"Let me pay you back," she insisted, fishing a few dollar bills out of her wallet. I gently grabbed her wrist to stop her, but she took the money out anyways.

"It's on me, Annabeth. Don't worry about it," I assured her.

She rolled her eyes. "You've gotta be crazy if you think I'll let you pay," she said, tossing five bucks on the table.

I looked at it, debating whether to hand it back or just take it. "Do you go to college here?" I asked.

Annabeth looked surprised, but she straightened her glasses and answered. "Yeah, I'm getting a degree in business."

I pushed the money back across the table. "Save your money, then," I told her. "I'm already in the show biz." That wasn't a lie. Football was technically part of the entertainment industry.

"How old are you? You don't look older than twenty-three," Annabeth said, taking the money back. She seemed resigned to the fact that I wouldn't accept any money.

"Twenty-one. What about you?"

"I'm twenty. First-term junior at Manhattan. Why aren't you in school? Everyone goes to college nowadays," Annabeth remarked.

"I'm not a school person," I told her, as the waitress set our drinks on the table. "I barely survived high school." I slid Annabeth's towards her and took a sip of mine.

Annabeth laughed. "I'm a major school person. I love to read."

"Didn't you say you liked watching football?" I asked her, feeling stupid. Did I forget something?

She took a sip of coffee and nodded. "I got into it as a way to spend time with my dad. We watched mostly college football since I like Percy Jackson." Was this a crazy coincidence or what? I nearly laughed but remembered I couldn't let anyone know.

But what if this 'thing' I had for Annabeth grew into something more serious? How long could I lie to her face like this?

"He's pretty good," I acknowledged. "I started watching his games once I discovered he had the same name as me."

Annabeth laughed. "Not because he was the top-rated player in all of college football in passing yardage, quarterback rating, and completion percentage?" Was I really? I didn't keep track of my stats much. I didn't even know what quarterback rating _was. _Beautiful _and _smart.

Most importantly, I was liking Annabeth more and more. She was easy to talk to, first off. Her laugh was really nice also. It reminded me of a rose; it was sweet but had a dangerous edge to it.

"Well, that too," I replied. "I can't believe he's playing in New York this year."

Annabeth's beautiful grey eyes lit up. "I know, right? I wish I had season tickets." I wanted so badly to tell her who I was, since I could get her season tickets easily. Heck, the team gave me four front-row seats for all of our home games for family and friends.

She looked at her watch. "Shoot," she said. "I need to get to class."

"Nice talking to you, Annabeth," I told her, standing up. "Before you go, do you mind entering your number on my phone?" I asked, holding out my phone.

Annabeth nodded and took my phone. She handed it back a few seconds later and gave me her phone, and I did the same.

"See you soon, Percy," Annabeth said, disappearing through the doors.

I processed what she just said. Did that mean she wanted me to ask her out again?

I grinned. Maybe there _was _more to life than football and parties.

* * *

I spent the day in my apartment, relaxing. It wasn't a big apartment, but seeing as I lived alone I didn't need one.

Since I was bored and the team wasn't flying down to Atlanta to play the Falcons until tomorrow, I went through a bunch of scouting reports on myself for fun. I was projected to be a top-five quarterback this year even though I was a rookie. Connor and Travis, who were drafted after me, were in the top-ten list of rookie wide receivers, which would help me find targets a lot.

Even though the Rebels finished 1-15 last year, good for worst in the league, many people thought we could make the playoffs this year. I, for sure, did. We had a great group of guys on the team, one of the best coaches in the league, and a fan base that hadn't been more excited in years.

I was the reason for that, but I tried not to let it get to my head. All I could do was put my head down, work hard, grind out wins, and hope for the best.

Chiron probably wouldn't approve of me getting a girlfriend, since he was already fed up with me and my mediocre work ethic. I'm just lazy, okay? But if things between Annabeth and I escalated, it was my relationship, not Chiron's. He couldn't stop me. After all, wasn't love the most powerful force on Earth?

* * *

Question of the Chapter: What do you think of Annabeth with glasses? Love it? Hate it?

I personally love it. It's so _her._

Thanks to all subscribers and reviewers so far, and please don't forget to review!


	4. Week 1, Day 7

"Dude, get the hell up already!" Leo yelled, shaking my shoulders.

"Five more minutes!" I yelled back, burying my face in my pillow. Leo yanked the hotel blankets right off of me, causing me to shriek and curl into a ball, since a certain curly-haired kicker decided to set the thermostat super low.

Realizing I wouldn't last much longer in the cold like this, I got up and put on a shirt and sweatpants. Leo, Jason, and I shared this room since the hotel closest to the Falcons' stadium had limited rooms available.

"What time is it?" I asked Jason.

He checked his watch. "Six thirty."

I stared at Leo. "Why the hell did you just wake me up this early?"

Leo held up his hands in surrender. "Chiron's rules, man! The game's at one and as he said it, clowns like us take way too long to get ready."

"What time are we due at the stadium?" I asked.

"Nine," Jason told me.

"Great, so we have two hours to do nothing," I grumbled. "Unless you boys had anything planned?"

The boys shook their heads in unison. We called each other boys, even though Jason was twenty-five, Leo was twenty-two, and I was twenty-one. Even though Jason was a three-year veteran running back, he was the first to befriend Leo and I when we walked in the door on the first day of training camp.

I walked over to the phone and looked at the breakfast menu. "Anything good here?" I asked them.

"There's a sweet quesadilla in there somewhere. Jason and I haven't eaten yet, though. We were waiting for the slowpoke quarterback to wake up," Leo told me.

"Jason?"

"I'll get whatever Leo gets."

I ordered three quesadillas and three orange juices on the phone. "They'll be here in fifteen minutes," I told the boys.

"Awesome," Jason said.

I took out my phone and was greeted by a new message.

**Annabeth Chase: **Hey Percy, wanna head over to Central Park on Tuesday? That's my day off.

I stared at my phone, too surprised to respond. That was my mistake.

"What do we have here, Percy?" Leo asked, wriggling his eyebrows.

"Nothing," I said quickly, putting my phone down. "Absolutely nothing at all."

"Annabeth, isn't it? You two are dating now?" Jason asked.

I shrugged. "What's it to you?"

"We're not judging you or anything," Jason said, always the mature one of us three. "We're just curious."

"What can I say? We had a date at the coffee shop on Thursday. Annabeth just asked me out this morning."

"Is she a good smoocher? I can imagine those glasses getting in the way," Leo asked.

My face reddened. "We haven't kissed. Or even held hands. And I like her glasses."

"Why?" Jason asked.

I shrugged. "It makes her seem down-to-earth and self-confident, I guess. Not like any of those bimboes we dated in college."

Leo laughed. "Hey, you gotta admit you liked Rachel!"

I glared at him. "That was the worst month of my life."

"Don't even try to deny it, man. You—" I shoved Leo off of the bed, causing him to writhe in feigned agony.

I groaned. "Don't remind me."

Just then, I heard a knock on the door. Jason hopped up and opened it, with Leo still curled in a ball on the floor and yelling curses in Spanish.

"Here are your—is he okay over there?" the delivery man said, looking at Leo.

I laughed. "He's fine. Thanks for the service," I told him, handing him a twenty for the tip as he gave Jason our breakfasts.

He looked surprised, but he didn't question the money. "Thank you sir, enjoy your breakfast."

Leo stood up on the bed indignantly and planted a hand on his hip. "I'M THE MEXICAN HERE. QUESADILLAS ARE MY TERRITORY! IT'S MY JOB TO OPEN THE DOOR FOR HIM," he yelled.

Jason laughed. "Dude, you were curled in a ball on the floor."

"EVEN WORSE!" Leo ranted. "YOU GUYS MADE ME LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT IN FRONT OF HIM. BOW DOWN OR PERISH!"

Of course, neither Jason nor I listened. I handed Leo his drink and quesadilla, which calmed him down.

"Why didn't you guys play along?" Leo asked. "That would've been funny if the delivery dude heard it."

"We're immature, but we're not seven," I told him. "Plus, I need my voice to call plays today. Just because you're the kicker doesn't mean the rest of us can sit on the sidelines for ninety-nine percent of the game and steal credit for winning."

Leo paused before shrugging his shoulders. "Whatever. I'm digging in, amigos," he said, stabbing his fork into the quesadilla.

Jason turned to me. "Is it just me or has Leo been downright…_classic _this morning?"

I shrugged. "Must be game-day nerves."

* * *

I shook my head as I walked off the field. My latest throw was my first interception of the day, but it was a costly one. I overthrew Connor—just like I did in practice—and the ball sailed right into the safety's hands.

Our team was still winning, 31-24, but the Falcons were coming back. They had the ball at midfield with two minutes left, and with one of the better quarterbacks in the league they'd have no trouble chewing through our defense if he threw well.

I threw for three touchdowns, Jason ran for another one, and Leo nailed a long field goal to put us in the lead, but it'd be for nothing if we couldn't close the game out. I watched as our defense, which had been having problems stopping the Falcons all day, took the field and lined up.

The Falcons quarterback, known as Matty Ice for his chill-ness in big situations, took the snap on first down and rolled to his right. He fired a bullet to his go-to receiver, which he caught in stride. He made it to our twenty-yard-line before getting shoved out of bounds by our safety.

I watched, powerless to help, as the Falcons converted three more passes, the last being a corner fade in the end zone. The kicker nailed the extra point, tying the game at 31.

I looked up at the scoreboard, and it showed that we had a minute and two seconds and one timeout to get some points and win the game.

"LET'S WIN THIS THING!" I yelled, running up and down the sideline to get my teammates' attention. I clapped my hands three times and continued, "EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. GET UP, GET LOUD, AND LET'S GO HOME WITH A WIN."

Even though most of them were in their late twenties and I was just twenty-one, all of my teammates listened to me. Not one of them remained sitting down as I made it to the end of the sideline. Leo, Connor, and Travis in particular were full of energy, and they knew as well as I did that the game was far from over. I needed to inspire my team before I went into vintage-Percy concentration for the game.

The Falcons' kicker sent the ball out of the back of our end zone for a touchback. After hearing our go-to plays one more time from Coach Douglas, I jogged out onto the field with my team trailing behind me.

Once we got set and the ref blew his whistle, I stomped twice. "Set…HIKE!" I yelled, receiving Frank's snap.

I dropped back to pass, and saw Travis wide open on the left side. He beat his defender one-on-one and was streaking down the sideline. I reached back and threw a high floater to lead him, and thankfully Travis got the memo. He kept running and caught my perfectly-placed pass in stride, juking the free safety and managing a few more yards before the strong safety pulled him down.

"THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, STOLL!" Coach Douglas yelled. Not allowing myself to get distracted, I ignored him and jogged down the field. I stopped where the ball was spotted at the Falcons' thirty-yard-line. It was a long kick, sure, but it was nothing Leo couldn't make. I looked at the scoreboard. Forty-six seconds. Enough time for at least one play.

Coach Douglas told me the play via the earpiece in my helmet. I nodded, stomped twice, and called for the snap. I faked a toss to Jason, rolled to my left, and threw a short slant right back to him. He caught the ball even though my pass was behind him and slid to make sure he wouldn't fumble.

We let the clock tick down until there were three seconds left when Coach Douglas called our last timeout. The offense jogged off the field so Leo and the field goal team could do their thing. I took a deep breath and took my helmet off, even though I couldn't relax just yet.

As they lined up, I knelt on the sideline, sipping a bottle of Gatorade. The ref blew his whistle, and the play began. Good snap, good hold, and Leo's kick…was good! Leo jumped up and pumped his fist before turning around and running down the field, waving money signs in the air to taunt all of the fans in the stadium.

I ran onto the field with my hands in the air, making a beeline for Leo. I gave him a chest-bump and the rest of the team came storming off the bench to celebrate. I high-fived and hugged the rest of my teammates as well before we all took our equipment and headed back to the locker room.

* * *

"Percy Jackson, what was going through your mind on that last possession?" a brown-haired reporter asked me. Dang it, I forgot about interviews. They were a little annoying, although I tried to be respectful to the reporters. They were just doing their job.

"I was just taking things one play at a time," I told her. "Doing things to help the team win."

"What were you thinking about as you threw Travis Stoll that bomb that set up the game-winner?"

I shrugged. "Nobody on that Atlanta secondary can cover him, and they know it. Props to Travis for getting open there. I just threw it up there, and he beat his defenders. That's all there is to it."

"What were you thinking as Valdez lined up for that game-winning field goal?" she continued, as if she was reading from a script. That was one of the main things that annoyed me about interviews. They felt so unnatural.

I laughed. "I knew he was gonna make it. The kid doesn't know _how _to miss."

"I take it your relationship with Valdez extends outside the white lines?"

I nodded. "Yeah, definitely. We were bros in college, always hangin' together. Still do."

"You made that clear to us today, Percy. Thanks for the time," she said.

"No prob," I replied, walking back to my locker. Just then, it occurred to me that I hadn't thought of Annabeth since my conversation with Leo and Jason this morning.

* * *

I know Percy isn't quite head-over-heels yet, but that'll come in time. It's still just Week 1! (The season is 17 weeks.)

And how's that for a first NFL game?! Leading his team to a last-second victory, and of course having Leo Freaking Valdez finish it off.

If anyone has questions about the confusing-ish football game, just ask me in a review/PM and I'll gladly explain! I know there aren't a ton of football fans on here, so I'm not sure if people are interested in that part.

Question of the Chapter: Do you want more football games or not? I'm happy either way; if you guys don't want more games they will be replaced with hanging out and Percabeth.

Please don't forget to review!


	5. Week 2, Day 1

Fifty followers and reviews! Thanks everyone!

* * *

I woke up, my entire body sore from the hits I took yesterday in the football game. My knees in particular rebelled against me as I got up to put on sweatpants and a t-shirt. I slid on braces for my knees and ankles before brewing a coffee in my kitchen.

While I waited for my coffee machine to churn out an espresso, I took out my phone. Annabeth's message stared up at me.

_Shoot. _Did I really forget to text her back? Way to show her you care, Percy.

Well…better late than never, right?

**Me: **Sorry for late response. Meet you at the entrance at nine tomorrow?

I slid my phone in my pocket, hoping Annabeth wouldn't be mad at my late response. I wasn't a prompt person, and my lack of a killer work ethic was my main obstacle in football.

My phone buzzed three minutes later.

**Annabeth Chase:** Sounds good. Have a nice day Percy!

Just as I poured my freshly brewed coffee into a cup, I heard a knock on my apartment door. It was probably Nico. Not many people knew where I lived since Chiron and I agreed that I should stay under-the-radar as much as possible. I always found ways to get in trouble—I was suspended for four games throughout my college career for stupid misbehavior-and I planned to change that as a professional. Avoiding the paparazzi was a good start.

Also, I had a feeling Annabeth was a timely and organized person. Not many people were focused on being on time for coffee at seven in the morning on a weekday.

But the most fun thing about her was the mystery. Whenever she looked at me, I felt like she knew something I didn't for some reason. It made me curious. It made me interested. It made me want to see her more.

I opened my door, and sure enough Death Boy was standing in front of me. "What's up?" I asked.

Nico shrugged. "Nothing much. Do you have time to hang out today?"

"I'm free. I'm sore as freaking hell though so I can't do anything crazy," I complained. Not many people realized how much stress was put on my joints during a football game in which I was hit at least thirty times by people twice my size.

"Does watching _SportsCenter _count as crazy?" Nico asked.

I shook my head. "Come on in," I told him, motioning inside. "Remote's on top of the TV."

I took a sip of my coffee and followed Nico to my humble living room. Besides the sixty-inch flatscreen TV, there wasn't much to see about it. The room contained a long but worn-down couch and pictures of my family on the coffee table in front of the couch.

As I looked at the pictures on the table, the biggest of my mother and Paul, my stepdad, laughing, I made a mental note to visit them sometime soon. I was born via a short fling my mom had with a rich businessman in the fishing industry when she was younger, but Paul treated me well nonetheless. He didn't try to replace my dad-thankfully-but he was the man I came to when I needed help in a sticky situation in college. Paul was a high school English teacher, so he was always full of useful advice to give me.

"Percy, look at this," Nico said from the couch. He was slouching lazily in one corner, the remote in his left hand. "You're on TV."

I glanced over at the screen, and sure enough _SportsCenter_ was showing the highlights of the Rebels versus Falcons game yesterday. I saw myself throw a touchdown pass to Travis and fire an arrow backwards in celebration.

Nico laughed. "That never gets old. Who'd you steal the celebration from?"

"Baseball player," I told Nico. "He does that at the end of every game he wins."

"Figures. You gotta come up with something original, Percy," he complained.

"Any ideas, Death Boy? Playing dead isn't an option, by the way."

Nico threw his hands in the air. "It's _your _celebration. I'm not going to figure it out for you."

"Arrow it is, then," I said, as I saw Leo kick his game-winning field goal on the TV. "I'm glad Leo's on the team. Not just because he's a good kicker. He's the funniest guy in the world."

"I'm glad too," Nico said. "At least from a fan's perspective. He's too cheerful for me."

"There you go again with the depressing comments," I said. "Did you get the day off today?" I asked him, just noticing he wasn't at work on a Monday. Care to take a guess where Nico works?

"There aren't any funerals today," he told me. "Too bad, since I kind of like my job."

"Must be so much fun to be a receptionist at a funeral home," I remarked.

Nico shrugged. "What can I say? It's easy, it pays decently, and I get to work with dead people." I didn't ask. I didn't want to know what he found so appealing about dead people.

"You could just go to college instead," I told him. Nico's dad was Hades Pluto, the owner of Underworld Inc., one of the largest coffin manufacturing companies in the world. He could pay for Nico's college tuition in a heartbeat.

Nico shook his head. "Too crowded there. I hate school. You know that."

"How's it going between you and Thalia, by the way?" I asked him, changing the subject.

Nico shrugged. "Well, I guess. I think she's interested."

"Have you kissed yet?"

"Nope. Anyways, what do you think of the headlines of the New York Post?" Nico asked, changing the subject again. I guess Thalia wasn't up for discussion.

"Haven't seen them yet," I replied truthfully, even though I knew exactly what I was going to see.

"Dude, you gotta check them out," Nico said, pulling out his phone. He showed me the New York Post on it, and my eyes jumped straight to my name on the headlines. The first article's title read, _21-Year-Old Phenom leads Rebels to First Victory in Nine Months, _and showed a picture of me firing an arrow backwards.

"What's the big deal?" I asked Nico, handing him back his phone without reading the article. Whatever they had to say, I knew already.

Nico raised his eyebrows. "The New York Post wrote something _positive _about you. That's not easy to get."

I shrugged. "I guess so. I don't really care what the papers say about me, though."

"What _do _you care about, then?" Nico asked me.

"Good question. I care about what my teammates think of me, I guess. I care about what I think of myself. I want the Rebels to be good, and I'll do everything I can to help that happen," I told Nico. "But I also like Annabeth a lot. I want a long-term relationship. And I've been doing an awful job so far."

Nico sighed and put down the remote. "What did you do this time, Percy?"

"I forgot to call Annabeth back after our date or anything. She asked me to hit Central Park tomorrow and it took me a day to respond."

Nico threw his hands up in the air. "Dude, you gotta do better than that. I know you're famous and all, but that's no excuse to be a bad boyfriend to her."

"I know. I just…don't know how. I want to treat her well, but I guess I'm too used to those two-week flings."

"Are you asking _me _for help?"

I shrugged. "Sure. Any advice?"

"Just be yourself, and be nice to her. Make sure you call her and text her back quickly, but not too quickly. Don't listen to me, but you should tell her who you are or else she'll get mad when she finds out. Dude, these are the _basics. _Not rocket science."

"How am I supposed to tell her I'm the guy she's been watching on TV for three years?"

Nico raised his eyebrows. "Seriously? That's the issue? You have it easy then. I'm not saying to be careless, but just tell her."

I shifted on the couch. "Yeah, I guess I should."

* * *

Question of the Chapter: What do you think of Percy being a lazy boyfriend so far?

Please don't forget to review! They've been going down and I have no idea what's wrong.


	6. Week 2, Day 2

Just like the Starbucks date, I arrived at Central Park half an hour early to wait for Annabeth. I wore a red Leo Valdez t-shirt and jeans, making sure nothing gave away my true identity. I also took some painkillers so I wouldn't walk too awkwardly since my legs were both still sore.

And just like last time, Annabeth arrived exactly on time. This time, she wore a tight, light green shirt and jeans. Was she trying to tell me something with the tight shirt?

"Hey, Percy," she said, as she walked up to the entrance. "You're early again," she observed.

I shrugged. "It's the least I could do. Sorry about taking forever to text back, by the way."

Annabeth waved her hand. "It's no problem. I was watching football, anyways," she said, laughing.

"Rebels versus Falcons?" I guessed.

Annabeth nodded. "You guessed it. Damn, call me obsessive but I'm psyched to see the game in two weeks. It's on the same day as my birthday, actually."

I raised my eyebrows. "Really? Keep your schedule open after the game, then."

Annabeth laughed. "Sure, is it for what I think it is?"

"If you're guessing I'll take you somewhere, you guessed right."

"What do you have in mind, Percy?" she asked, raising her eyebrows in a challenging fashion.

I grinned. "It's a surprise, Annie."

She glared at me. "Don't call me that. And I hate surprises."

"You'll love this one, I promise," I told her. I already had a good idea of what I was going to give her. At the same time, I feared what was going to inevitably happen.

"I hope so, Percy. When's your birthday?" Annabeth asked, adjusting her black, thick-rimmed glasses that only she could pull off. Her tight shirt was more than a little distracting.

"August eighteenth." It was true-I recently turned twenty-one. I had a low-key get-together with a few of my teammates, but I didn't really celebrate it. In the football business, youth was a good thing. There weren't too many positives about getting a year older.

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "Seriously? Happy belated birthday, Percy," she said, opening her arms for a hug. I stepped into them and hugged her back, noticing her hair smelled like lemon shampoo.

"Thanks," I said, when we pulled back.

She smiled, looking at me with her grey eyes which I still hadn't gotten used to. "I take it you're a Rebels fan? I've never seen anyone wear a Leo Valdez shirt to Central Park before."

I was about to tell her that Leo was one of my best friends, but I caught myself. "Of course. I'm a local guy, and I can't just not support Percy Jackson."

Annabeth laughed. "That's right. Did you watch his postgame interview yesterday, by the way? I laughed so hard," she told me. "_That kid doesn't know HOW to miss!_" she said, smiling widely as she performed a poor imitation of my voice.

"How could I miss it? The postgame interviews are the best parts," I said.

"Especially Percy's," Annabeth added. "I mean, he's a little cocky, I guess, but that's just part of the game, right? It's actually kinda cute," she said dreamily, then covered her mouth, snapping back to attention. "Sorry!"

I decided to ignore Annabeth's slip-up, although I was more than a little warmed by her comment. "Who'd you watch the game with?" I asked her, changing the subject.

Annabeth looked relieved to comply. "Thalia and Piper, a couple of friends. For some reason, Thalia hates Percy and was rooting for the Falcons." _Gee, I wonder why. She probably doesn't even know I'm Thalia's cousin. _"What about you?" she added.

Thankfully, I had an answer in mind. "I watched with a friend at my apartment. Do you know Nico?"

"Nico di Angelo? The guy Thalia's been seeing?" Annabeth asked.

"Yeah, him."

"That's weird how things work out," Annabeth noticed. She tilted her head. "Did you know who I was when you asked me to dance at the party?"

"Nico told me you were Thalia's best friend, but that's it," I told her.

"Oh," Annabeth said. She looked like she wanted to say more, but she kept silent.

"Wanna go for a walk?" I suggested. "Nice day today."

It might've just been my optimistic imagination, but Annabeth's face lit up. "Yeah, good idea."

I offered her my hand, and she took it. Her hand was a good deal smaller than mine, which didn't surprise me considering I played football. Its warmth surprised me, as well; most people had cooler hands than me but Annabeth did not.

Most importantly: I knew for sure Annabeth was interested now. I'd come to learn that a girl wouldn't hold a guy's hand who they met a week ago unless they were romantically interested. Coupled with the times Annabeth called me good-looking, I was ninety-nine percent sure she was at _least _interested.

We walked down the path, hand in hand, with Annabeth pointing out some of the cool things about the park. She was an expert on Central Park's history, which didn't surprise me, and soon enough I was as well. If I was listening to a professor say the same stuff I would've been bored out of my mind, but I couldn't hear anything but Annabeth's voice when she spoke.

It was still summer in New York City, so the plants were bursting with life. The sun was beating down on us, but thankfully towering trees were there to keep us cool. I managed to walk without stumbling until I tripped on a rock, pitched forwards, and fell, using an arm to brace my fall. I didn't count on my right arm still being sore from the game, so I groaned and winced as I sat up.

Annabeth leaned down to help me up. "You okay, Percy?"

I instinctively took her hand up, since I was used to getting help from teammates to stand up in games. "I'm good. Thanks for the hand."

Annabeth frowned. "Must've been more painful than it looked," she observed.

I raised my eyebrows. "Are you insulting my manliness?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Definitely. But seriously, is something up with your arm? It didn't look too bad."

"It's a little sore," I admitted, thinking of a lie. "I got into a little shoving match with Nico and he accidentally pushed me into the table."

Annabeth laughed. "I'm not sure how your arm got _sore _from that, but I won't ask."

"It'd be better if you didn't." We kept on walking, and I noticed that Annabeth never let go of my hand after pulling me up.

"I'm getting hungry," Annabeth said, after we finished a full circle around the park. "Wanna hit Times Square?"

"You betcha," I responded. We walked around the block for a while, until Annabeth saw a Chinese restaurant she liked.

"I'll have a mixed vegetables," Annabeth told the waiter.

"Kung Pao chicken," I told him. "Are you vegetarian?" I asked Annabeth.

She nodded. "Ever since I smelled the meat cooking at that burger place down the street, I swore never to eat meat again. Piper's a vegetarian too, so it's easy for me."

"Bacon tastes way too good for me to go vegetarian," I told her.

Annabeth laughed. "I used to think that, too. How's your family been, by the way?" she asked me.

"They're doing well. My mom and stepdad live in an apartment in New York City, just like me."

"Stepdad?" Annabeth asked innocently.

"Yeah, my dad died a month after I was born. He worked in the fishing industry, and apparently he had to go on a trip overseas and never came back."

Annabeth exhaled sharply. "I'm sorry to hear that, Percy. Really."

I waved my hand. "It's fine. My stepdad is a great guy. How's your family been?"

"They've been doing well, too. My stepmom's been a witch to me like usual, but my dad got a promotion recently so he's been upbeat. I have two step-brothers, too, who I love even though my stepmom tries to keep me away from them," Annabeth said.

"What are their names?" I asked.

"Bobby and Matthew. They're twins. Where do you work, by the way?"

Shoot. I didn't see that one coming…at least I had a cover story.

"Olympus Studios Incorporated. I'm an extra in a movie."

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "Which movie?"

"It's a kids movie called 'Maximum Ride, the Angel Experiment'. I auditioned for the breathtakingly sexy main character, but they turned me down."

Annabeth sighed. "I guess they wanted someone good-looking, then."

"Didn't you say Percy Jackson was good-looking?" I asked.

"Yeah, but I was talking about the _other _Percy Jackson," Annabeth defended, smiling.

"I forgot to mention that you said we looked similar. You're smart enough to know what that means…"

"Oh, shut up," Annabeth told me, rolling her eyes. She was saved from explaining herself further by the waiter, who walked up to give us our food.

Tell me I have bad manners, but I dug in immediately. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until a plate of chicken and rice was sitting in front of me.

"How's school going, by the way?" I asked Annabeth, swallowing a wad of processed chicken.

She finished chewing a piece of broccoli and replied. "Well, I guess. With as much humility as possible, school's always been easy for me."

"What courses are you taking this year?"

"I'm not sure about the spring semester yet, but I'm doing Differential Equations. Don't laugh, it's a requirement. I'm also doing English 313 and two business courses."

"What's Differential Equations?" I asked.

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "You seriously don't know? It's math."

"Oh." I had some vague memory of some of my friends taking a course like that, but for the most part I forgot everything I learned in school. I didn't even remember which courses I took. I was either playing football, partying, or hitting up Blacksburg's biggest hot spots.

Annabeth laughed. "I never took you as the math type anyways."

"I can't add my way out of a paper bag," I admitted. "But honestly, when will I ever use that stuff in real life?"

"You have a point, sir."

"As much as I suck at math, I know that I'm two months older than you. Don't call me sir."

Annabeth laughed. "Alright, Percy," she said, finishing up her dish. Dang, Annabeth ate fast. I still had a few pieces of chicken to go.

I asked the waiter for the check the next time he came by.

"I'm paying this time," Annabeth told me.

"I don't think so," I disagreed, taking out my wallet.

Annabeth sighed. "Percy, just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I don't have money."

"No, it's not that," I assured her. "It's just that-" How could I say something without telling her I signed a twenty-two-million-dollar contract less than five months ago? I really, _really _didn't want to make Annabeth, who was still a college student, pay when I had all the money I could ever want.

Annabeth raised here eyebrows. "It's just that what?"

I shook my head. "It's nothing. If you insist, we can split the bill."

Annabeth looked relieved. "Thank goodness, Percy."

When the waiter came back, we paid and stood up. After we left the restaurant, Annabeth faced me. "I'd love to spend the rest of the day out here, but I have some schoolwork to do. What do you think about sometime this week or next week?" she asked.

"That should work. I'll text you. I'll actually do it this time," I promised her.

Annabeth laughed. "Sounds good, Seaweed Brain."

"What did you just call me?" I demanded.

"You heard me right."

"Why am I Seaweed Brain?" I asked.

"First off, your eyes are green like the sea. You also said your dad worked with fishing, so the ocean is in your blood. And your head is full of kelp, Seaweed Brain."

"Very funny, Wise Girl."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "That's so lame."

"Better than nothing, I guess," I said, with a shrug.

"What about just _Annabeth_?"

"Hey, I can't help it if I feel obligated to come up with nicknames when people do it for me."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Whatever. See you later, Seaweed Brain."

"You too, Wise Girl," I said, as she walked down the street back to her campus. Just then, it occurred to me that I hadn't kissed Annabeth yet. Oh well, it'd come naturally. I never had much of a chance to today.

Why rush it when we had forever?

* * *

Question of the Chapter: How do you think Annabeth will react when she finds out her idol and the guy she's dating are the same person?

I'd personally be too awed to be upset if I were in a position like that, hahahaha...


	7. Week 2, Day 7

"Leo, shut up!" I yelled, throwing a pillow his way. He insisted on using a new method to wake me up every road game, and this week, in San Diego, Leo shook my shoulders to get me up and talked in Spanish endlessly in a monotonous, high-pitched voice to make sure I couldn't fall back asleep.

Leo dodged my pillow and continued on his rant on who-knows-what until I finally sat up and put on sweatpants.

"Dude, was that really necessary?" I groaned.

Leo shrugged. "I'll say it was. You're about as hard to wake up as a teenage girl on a Saturday morning after a party."

"Shut up."

Leo put his hands up. "It's true, man. Would you rather us turn down the thermostat?"

"For what?"

Jason laughed. He'd been so silent I hadn't even noticed him there. "Nice DJ Snake reference, Percy."

I shrugged. I hadn't even noticed what I'd said, but looking back on it, it was a pretty clever play on words by yours truly.

"What were you even talking about?" I asked Leo.

"A lot of things, actually," he said. "Including what I'm sure you think about Annabeth."

"And those thoughts are…?" I asked, with a twinge of mock anxiety.

"Do you want the PG-13 version or the uncensored version?" Leo asked.

I slapped my forehead. "PG-13, please."

Leo sighed. "That was exactly none of it. We all know your mind isn't that clean, Percy." To be honest, I wasn't that perverted. At least not by twenty-one-year-old guy standards. I was still a virgin despite all the temptation I faced during college. Even though I was a party animal at times, I had the presence of mind to know my first time should be special.

On the other hand, I was a young man. All the stereotypes about guys my age being perverted applied to me, too.

"Shut up. On to more important things, any news from Coach Douglas?"

"We're having breakfast as a team at the diner on 57th," Jason said. "Leave your equipment on the team bus."

"Got it," I told him. "What time?"

"Fifteen minutes or so," Jason said.

"Oh, I forgot to ask you something," Leo piped up. "In all seriousness-" he began, then laughed out loud when he realized he was trying to be serious. He took a minute to calm down before continuing-a minute Jason and I spent banging our heads against the wall repeatedly. "As I was saying, how's it going between Annabeth and you?"

I shrugged. "Well, I guess. We're definitely making progress."

"What do you consider 'progress'?" Jason asked.

"Holding hands and hugging so far."

"She knows you're a big shot, right?" Leo asked, fluffing his hair.

I shook my head. "Not yet."

"Dude, you gotta tell her," Jason said. "Lying's not cool."

"I know. But how am I supposed to tell a girl who practically worships Percy Jackson that the guy who's dating her is the same person?"

Leo raised his hand. "Ooh! You gotta pull an Elvis, bro. That'd be smooth. Walk up, all slick and everything, and say, 'I'm the real Percy Jackson, girl.'"

Jason waved his hand. "Don't listen to him. He's stuck in the eighties."

"Am not!" Leo protested. "The circular saws back then flat-out _sucked._"

Jason eyed him strangely. "What I was going to say was that you should just give it to her straight," Jason said. "If it makes her hate you, there are a million other girls that you can choose from."

I stared at him. "Don't you understand? I want something long-term, not a short fling. I want Annabeth to be that girl."

"Damn, someone's in loooooove," Leo said in a sing-song voice.

"Damn, someone needs to shut up," Jason scolded him. I gave him a fist bump, chuckling. "As I was going to say before Leo interrupted me again," Jason continued, "go for it, man. Long-term or not, it's better done sooner rather than later."

"I guess so," I said. "Nico told me the same thing."

"See?" Jason told me. "What are you waiting for?" He had a point there. I wasn't waiting for anything.

"I guess you're right. Valdez, we ready to go yet?"

Leo checked his watch. "It's time, brothers. Let's rock!" Of course, Leo had to mimic playing an air guitar to prove his point. Jason and I gave each other a look saying, _What are we gonna do with him?_, before following Leo out of the room.

* * *

"Percy Jackson, how do you feel about your team's victory today?" a reporter asked me, as I was walking off the field, into the locker room. Our team dominated the San Diego Chargers, 34-7. I threw for four touchdowns and no interceptions, and Leo tacked on two field goals. Our defense stood up strong, and the game was practically decided when we led 28-0 by halftime. I was actually benched for the last six minutes so our backup quarterback could get in on some action.

"I feel great," I told her, grinning. "Our team came out there and played a great game against a very good San Diego team. I'm glad we're headed back to New York with a victory."

"You played with a passion we don't see much of in this league any more. Did you have any special inspiration going into the game today?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I guess I wanted to play well for my-my team." Shoot, how did I almost just slip there? Annabeth was watching me on TV right now. I'm glad I didn't say _my girlfriend. _"Nothing too special. I'm just a passionate guy."

"We've realized, all right," the reporter said, as we approached the entrance to the tunnel leading to the locker room. "How did your team stay prepared and come out strong today despite traveling across the country two days ago?"

"It's just jet lag," I said. "No big deal. It's no big deal. Yeah, it ain't no big deal. We've got the best team in the league, right here right now." I wasn't sure about that, but I had to be confident in order to hope to succeed against opposing players at the highest level. It wasn't high school anymore, where people could halfheartedly win. It took a winner's mentality as well as physical prowess to succeed in the National Football League.

"You sure showed that today, Mr. Jackson. Thanks for your time," he said, as he walked away.

As I walked into the locker room to change into street clothes, I realized something when my eyes glanced over my phone. I hadn't texted Annabeth yet. And it had been five days.

Shoot.

Cursing myself, I turned on my phone and sent a message to Annabeth.

**Me: **Sorry for the late message Wise Girl. What days/times next week work for you? I'm good for Monday and Wednesday evening, and Tuesday and Thursday all day.

God, I was a horrible person. Annabeth probably thought I didn't care. That wasn't true at all. I did care about her. I cared a lot about her. I was just a forgetful person.

Annabeth texted back quickly last time, and she did the same this time.

**Annabeth Chase: **It's all right. Tuesday evening and Wednesday evening work for me. What do you have in mind?

**Me: **How does ice skating for Tuesday evening sound?

**Annabeth Chase: **That'll be fun. It's been a while since I've skated, though…

**Me: **It's fine, if I can do it you can. I'll pick you up at six?

**Annabeth Chase: **Sounds good. I need to be back by eleven but besides that anywhere in that range works.

**Me: **See you soon, Wise Girl.

* * *

Don't worry, they won't win everything. What's the fun in that? I promise they'll have their share of struggles...

Question of the Chapter: Who's more perverted, Percy or Leo?


	8. Week 3, Day 2

What was I supposed to wear to ice skating? I didn't know. I spent half an hour looking in my closet for something to wear. It was almost like I was a teenager again.

_Screw it, _I thought. Annabeth wasn't one to obsess over clothing. I pulled out a dark blue t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and a green jacket out of the top drawer of my closet and put them on. I was a little sore, but it wasn't nearly as bad as last week since I was only hit twice during the game.

I arrived at Annabeth's dorm at six-I made sure to arrive on time-and knocked on her door. She lived on a ground-level room, thankfully, so I didn't have to worry about entering a girls-only floor. However, it wasn't Annabeth who opened the door.

"Hello, who is this?" a girl asked me blandly. She had long, dark hair and a regal air to her. Her dark, piercing eyes gave me the sense she was a born leader.

"My name's Percy, and I'm looking for Annabeth Chase," I responded.

"Percy?" Annabeth called, from somewhere inside the dorm. "Just a minute!"

"Wow, someone's enthusiastic," the girl noticed. "My name's Reyna, by the way. I'm Annabeth's roommate."

"Nice to meet you, Reyna," I said, as Annabeth walked up to the door, in a pair of jeans and a Rebels hoodie. She wasn't wearing makeup or anything, but Annabeth looked stunning. Only she could pull off an old hoodie and a pair of jeans.

"Nice to meet you too," Reyna responded, without a hint of emotion. "Well, be good to Annabeth. You hurt her, and I'll hurt you."

Annabeth blushed. "Reyna!"

Reyna shrugged. "You heard me, Percy. I'll see you later," she said, and I couldn't help but believe her.

Once Reyna shut her door, Annabeth turned to me. "Sorry about that."

I waved my hand. "It's fine. Besides, I get the sense that Reyna's cool once you get to know her."

Annabeth nodded. "Definitely. She's one of my close friends," she said, as I opened the door to my car for her. She smiled at my act of chivalry, much to my delight. Some girls though it was 'cheesy' rather than classy. "Nice car, by the way."

"Thanks," I said, turning the car on and pulling out of my parking space. "I got it three weeks ago. First car." That wasn't a lie. I relied on public transportation before a few weeks ago when I pretty much had to get a car to travel to the stadium and back. On that thought, our first home game was this week…and Annabeth was going to be watching.

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "You're twenty-one, and your first car is a luxury sports car?"

I shrugged. "My parents gave it to me for my twenty-first birthday," I told her. I justified the lie by telling myself that my parents gave me the gift of life, which led to me buying the car, so…it began with them.

"Lucky," Annabeth said. "I have to rely on the subway."

"Hey, the subway's not all bad. It's just that—" I cut myself off. I was about to say, _"It's just that the stadium can't be reached that way,"_ but stopped myself. Damn, how long could I keep this from Annabeth? Guilt aside, she was a smart girl. She'd figure me out quickly if I wasn't careful. One thing I knew was that I wanted to be the one to tell Annabeth who I was. If nothing else, I was going to be honest with her regardless of how long it took.

"Just that what?" Annabeth asked.

"Just that it's always so crowded," I said quickly.

Annabeth shrugged. "I got used to it. Plus, I don't need to use it all that often."

"Figures. Have you ever skated before?" I asked her, changing the subject.

"Quite a few times, the most recent being a year ago. Sorry in advance if I'm a klutz out there."

I waved my hand. "It's fine. I'm not the best skater either," I told her, pulling the car into a parking garage.

We walked around Central Park for a few minutes, hand in hand, before renting skates and taking to the rink. I wanted to hold Annabeth's hand to help her out, but I had to get myself oriented first so I wouldn't stumble and take us both down.

It turned out that Annabeth wasn't bad at all. She stumbled every so often and fell in front of the boards once, but for the most part she held her own. After a few laps around, I felt comfortable offering her my hand. It was cold in the rink and we both forgot gloves, to Annabeth's surprise, so she didn't hesitate to take advantage of an opportunity to warm her hand.

Annabeth's hand sent a chill down my arm—not just because it was cold, but because it was…hauntingly comfortable.

"So," Annabeth said, as we turned a corner. "I know it's all I talk about, but did you see the game?"

I nodded. "Yup. We have more wins than we did all of last year," I said, then stopped, realizing what I said. I said _we, _not _they._

Thankfully, Annabeth didn't notice. "I know, right? It's awesome to finally watch a good football team. I'll be at next game live."

"Are you gonna meet Percy?" I asked, merely for the sake of making a lighthearted comment.

Annabeth laughed. "Nah, my tickets aren't that great. But I'm so glad I get to go. And you saw Percy's postgame interview, right?"

"Of course. No big deal. It's no big deal. Yeah, it ain't no big deal," I said, repeating my words from Sunday. It sounded dumb, but I made a point to say at least one funny comment every interview. It made what was normally pretty boring a fun event for everyone, including Annabeth.

Annabeth stared at me. "Percy, you impersonated him perfectly." _Shoot. _That wasn't in the plan…I'm so stupid.

I shrugged. "Comes in the name, I guess."

Annabeth shook her head, squeezing my hand. "Maybe so, but that was a damn good impersonation."

I nodded. I needed to change the subject before things went down. "I guess so. So did you watch with Thalia and Piper again?"

Annabeth nodded. I felt guilty about lying-yet again-but I decided to wait for a better time to tell her. "Yeah. Thalia called Percy an arrogant, lying, word I won't repeat. It's almost like she knows him personally and hates his guts." I wasn't sure how Annabeth didn't know Thalia was my cousin yet. If she did, she'd easily put the pieces together. For that matter, a girl as smart as Annabeth should've easily put things together by now.

"That's weird. She sounds like a hardcore football fan."

Annabeth shook her head. "She's not. She didn't care about the score, she just wanted to see Percy get trucked. I don't know what she has against him. And I don't know who to defend either, my best friend or favorite player." I didn't like the sound of that. I wanted to make up with Thalia so badly—we hadn't spoken in a year—but I couldn't bring myself to. Maybe Annabeth would give me reason to.

We skated around for a while before heading to the café and picking up some dinner, which I ended up splitting with Annabeth again. I dropped Annabeth off at her dorm and hugged her goodnight before she went inside.

Just like last date, I forgot all about kissing her until she disappeared behind her door. Sighing, I walked back out to the car, both a tad giddy from the date and disappointed with myself. I came through for my team this week, but not for Annabeth, who I still hadn't formally asked to be my girlfriend.

A lot of people didn't understand how hard it was to be a star football player. All the fans saw were short, three-hour games once a week full of energy and passion. They didn't see the hours and hours of film study and practice. I spent at least twenty hours a week watching film, and another fifteen on the field to improve my game.

They also didn't see the perseverance and mental toughness I needed to have. At every step of the way, I had doubters. People who didn't think I'd be any good. People said that I was slow, that I didn't have a winning 'aura', that I wasn't physically tough enough to hang with the best. I wanted to ignore them, but it was _hard. _I grew up being the best high school quarterback in New York City. My teammates idolized me. I was so comfortable doing what I was doing; I didn't know real adversity until I hit college. Even then, that was nothing compared to the ranting that went on about me before this season began about me being a 'boy in a man's world'.

Two successful games in the professionals helped, but I could never be confident enough for comfort. It took a crazy amount of confidence to believe that I could go against the best players in the world and succeed. That's the way it was in the National Football League. I didn't get paid millions of dollars for nothing.

But while sometimes I just wanted to slink under the radar and dump the critics off to the next star player, I loved my life. I wouldn't trade it for anyone else's.

* * *

Question of the Chapter: How long until Annabeth finds out?

Sorry for the late update btw!


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